Walk-a-thon held in honor of girl who had leg amputated

Lydia Petrucka, who recently lost her leg due to a fibro-adipose vascular anomaly, walks with Keith Gabel, right, during a walk-a-thon to benefit her at Reagan Academy on Thursday, April 24, 2014, in Springville.

Hugh Carey, Deseret News

Summary

A young girl from Springville had her leg amputated three weeks ago and is adjusting to life on one leg. Her community rallied around her and held a walk-a-thon in her honor. Paralympian Keith Gabel heard about it and went as her guest.

“I'm thinking the whole world is supporting me and helping me stay strong.”

Lydia Petrucka

SPRINGVILLE — Eight-year-old Lydia Petrucka is just like every other little girl who loves to play on the trampoline.

But unlike most little girls, she has dealt with a lot of pain.

She was born with a venous malformation on her left foot, a condition in which new clusters of veins are continuously growing, compromising the function of her foot and causing a lot of pain, according to her family, who described the ailment on a fundraising website “A new foot for Lydia.”

The disease also caused a lack of blood flow to muscles in her foot and lower leg and caused them to harden like a dry sponge; a condition known as fibro-adipose vascular anomaly or FAVA.

"Sometimes it felt like a hammer was dropping on it (her foot) over and over again," Lydia said.

After consultations with doctors, amputation was discussed. And it was a final decision that would be left to Lydia.

"I thought about all I had been through and that there is only one other option," the young girl said. "I thought I should just go with it."

On March 27, doctors amputated the leg just below the knee.

“Our hope is this will give her a new start on life, and we know she will be able to do more with a prosthetic than she can now, hopefully pain-free,” Liesl Petrucka, Lydia's mother, said.

With the help of her mother, Lydia made a mold of her disfigured foot the day before her surgery. Last week she held it in her hands as she recalled waking up from anesthesia without her leg.

"The first time I saw it, I just couldn't look" she said.

But now she's adjusting to her new life and found she's not alone.

Last week she returned to school at Reagan Academy in Springville. Her classmates planned a walk-a-thon in her honor, and she was determined to be a part of it, but she didn't go alone.

As she walked out of her house, Paralympian Keith Gabel greeted her. Gabel lives in Utah and, like Lydia, lost a leg from the knee down.